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Kidneys bleeding and painful

Has anyone else had Kidney problems. I have had them for probably 15 years now. Right now they are so painful and I am on a strong pain medication. They are bleeding and they are not sure why. Anyone who has had similar problems let me know. I need to know if this is normal with this disease or just my body letting me know that I have it. :roll:

Hi Pharmacygirl:
Lupus does not always cause kidney disease, but when it does, kidney involvement can be one of its most significant problems. The kidney problems are due to the production of abnormal autoantibodies. These antibodies are directed against your own tissue, for example, against DNA, the material of which the genes are made. The formation of immune complexes (combinations of these antibodies joining with normal body substances) appears to set up an inflammatory reaction in the kidney.
Several serious clinical disorders can result.
The kidneys are located in the flank (back of the upper abdomen at either side of the spinal column). They are deep within the abdomen and are protected by the spine, lower rib cage, and the strong muscles of the back. This location protects the kidneys from many external forces. They are well-padded for a reason -- kidneys are highly vascular organs, which means that they have a large blood supply. If injury occurs, severe bleeding may result.
Kidneys may be injured by damage to the blood vessels that supply or drain them. This may be in the form of aneurysm, arteriovenous fistula, arterial blockage, or renal vein thrombosis. The extent of bleeding depends on the location and the degree of injury.
Do you have red urine (blood in your urine)?. There is a condition known as Haematuria:
* Haematuria is the presence of red blood cells in the urine.Haematuria may indicate serious underlying problems. There is no clear relationship between the amount of bleeding and the severity of the underlying cause.
* Blood in the urine can come from anywhere in the urinary tract.
* Not all red urine is caused by blood. In any case, you should have your doctor investigate why you are having blood in your urine.
What is haematuria?
Haematuria is the presence of red blood cells in the urine. It can range from obvious bleeding to the microscopic detection of a few red blood cells in a routine urine sample.
When the urine is visibly coloured red by the amount of blood present it is called macroscopic haematuria. Blood that is not visible to the naked eye, but that is apparent on microscopic examination or with a urine test strip is called microscopic haematuria.
Blood in the urine can come from anywhere in the urinary tract: from the kidneys at the top down to the urethra (tube that carries urine from the bladder to the exterior). There is a very long list of possible causes, but infections, stones, tumours or trauma (injury) account for the majority of cases.
There are multiple causes of haematuria, which include the following:
Cancer of the urinary tract (kidney, ureter, bladder, prostate, urethra)
Benign enlargement of the prostate
Infection in the urinary tract
Stones Trauma (including jogging, vigorous exercise)
Rare inflammatory lesions in the urinary tract, including TB, following radiation treatment, interstitial cystitis, and malacoplakia.

* Trauma (rare in isolation)
* Infection
* Ureteric stones
* Ureteric tumours (rare)
o Transitional cell carcinoma (cancer of the lining of the ureter).
In any case, as I stated above, you should have your doctor do a complete investigation into the underlying cause of your kidney's painful bleeding.

Still in Pain

Hi Susie,
Thank you for the information. The doctors have ran tests and say my kidney function is working. They are not sure why I am in so much pain from them. I have started to drink more water regularly and this helps some besides being healthy, but it doesn't eliveate the continual pain that has now making me more homebound. I gave my notice at work because I was missing so many days. It was a good job with great benifits but I couldn't do it any longer. Today was my last day and now I am probably going to be in a real pickle without insurance. However, with the intense stress of my position I had no other alternative than to change a few things in my life. And this seemed to be the biggest source of my stress. So here I am with with 1 month of pay coming to me and 1 month of health insurance and then its gone.

I am trying to be optimistic about this but boy it is hard. Especially when you have 2 good days out of 7, which is what I am averaging right now. I still haven't been able to get into the rheumatologist because there are so few and they are full.

My frustration level right now is just about peaked as much as it can with out me throwing in the towel.

Will this pain ever go away or does it just keep coming? It is debilitating and miserable. I am trying different coping techniques but I don't think they are working.

My daughter is going to start walking with me to try and get my muscles to relax some. I am also hoping this will bring some energy where there is none.

My bed seems to be the best safe heaven there is right now and thats where I reside most of the time now since the pain has gotten so bad. By lying straight out my legs don't hurt as bad and I do get some relief from my kidneys. But I don't want to be a bed potatoe. It isn't right nor fair...but it is the only answer until a doctor can come up with some more.

Thanks for letting me vent. I had no one to vent to tonight as they were all asleep and I couldn't because I didn't take my sleeping med's.

Maybe you'll have some answers or suggestions, I am certainly willing to try.....to combat this dang disease. Right now I hate it. Its messing with me and my life. I don't think at the moment I am in the acceptance stage. LOL. Other days I am. Is this normal too? Makes you want to beat up this disease, tell it off and kick it out of your state. But that means I would be black and blue and homeless. LOL

Please let me know of anything that may help. I welcome your reply. I'll be the gal in Idaho on her bed, watching cable tv......wondering whats next.

worth a try

I am not in the pain you are! I am so sorry you are having to deal with soooo much. I couldn't figure out were the pain was coming from...I decided it was my ovaries and that all checked out fine. Now I'm thinking I may have missed it and it may be my kidneys. All seems to be functioning but not sure where the pain is coming from. It gets worse when I am tired or stressed.

The best relief I can get is from an old fashioned heating pad under my back when I am laying down. If you haven't tried it do! I am still amazed how much heat helps.

Hang in there! My mother went through so many flare ups and with plenty of rest pulled out eventually. There were times when she couldn't walk or move from pain that I felt sure she'd never get better and she did.

The Following User Says Thank You to dency For This Useful Post:

Hi Dency,
Thank you for your kind words and thoughts. I have been in a great deal of pain and fortunately the doc's have been giving me med's to combat this. I know that this is a flare and it has been probably been going for about 2 months solid now.
I finally decided to get some stress out of my life and gave notice at my work. I couldn't do my job the way it needed to be done. I was the Program Director at a local college for a Pharmacy Technician Program.
It was a good decision, a hard one to make but I know inside it was right. I am just trying to stay ahead of the pain and rest which as you know isn't always easy, by no means.
I am glad you mailed back. It is nice to know that others understand. That they truly know because they live with this themselves.
I am sorry about your mom. Its good though that she has been able to gain some relief some how or some way.
The idea of the hot pad is one that I will try. Cold certainly plays tricks on the muscles and nerves so I suppose that heat can do something too. I have found that taking a warm to hot shower helps if only for a little while. Then its back like a vengance.
Got to go for now. Thank you again for your reply. It is very much appreciated.
Always,
Angela

I am sorry to hear the the pain remains so unbearable. But, I am glad to hear that your kidneys are functioning. Have the doctors run any other tests to try to determine why they are so painful?
I know that when I do not drink enough water, I get unbearable pain in my kidneys. Now, I vow to drink a half-gallon of water every day. I make a picture of infused water every day. I cut up fresh fruits (like lemons, stawberries, limes, etc) and sometimes a few herbs like mint, and place them in my water each moring. Each time I walk past the picture, I pour myself a glass of water and drink it down. I do this all day long until the 1/2 gallon picture is empty. I start all over with fresh fruit etc. each morning. Since doing this, I have not had kidney pain. There are some great recipes for infused water online.
I do hope that you feel better and get some relief soon. Warm hugs.